XMAS Party Movie Nite at Bela Dubby this Thursday 12/23 at 8pm

This Thursday at the Bela Dubby in Lakewood, I will be showing two holiday classics that are sure to imbibe you with the Christmas spirits. "Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2" (1987) is a sequel that transcends the original. About 45 minutes of the film is "flashbacks" to the first movie. They show all the crazy stuff and cut out the boring bits. The 40 minutes of original footage they shot is where laziness ends and madness begins. "Garbage day" only hints at the insanity that lies under this mutant mistletoe!

SNDN2 is only an appetizer for the main course. "Christmas Evil" (1980) is unquestionably the greatest holiday film of all time. This film is sure to fill even the grouchiest grinch with a magical dose of Christmas cheer. It's full of holiday spirit and fun for the whole family. So bring the kiddies, sing some carols on the way, and get ready to celebrate the birth of our Savior. Movies start at 8pm and there will be snacks, booze, and cookies galore. Merry Christmas, everyone!

This is tonight!! The Bela Dubby is located in Lakewood at 13321 Madison Avenue. There will be a big batch of cookies, a dip and spread, booze galore, and a "name your own holiday horror movie" contest. Winner receives a free copy of "Christmas Evil"! The movies starts at 8pm and the event is free. Celebrate Christmas the old-fashioned way, with a double dose of holiday horror shenanigans!

Good movie night, gentlemen...in the words of the rescued damsel in distress in "SNDN2," "Thank you."

This info is from the Fangoria website:

"It is with heavy heart that Fango reports the passing of two major behind-the-scenes figures in genre film and television: editor Sally Menke (pictured left) and puppeteer/creature performer Van Snowden.

Variety reported that Menke was found dead in a ravine near Californiaâ€™s Griffith Park yesterday. She had been hiking Monday in record-breaking 113-degree heat, and most likely succumbed to heat stroke; an autopsy has been scheduled to determine the exact cause of death. Menke, who was 56 and married to GALAXY QUEST director Dean Parisot, was Quentin Tarantinoâ€™s regular editor, nabbing Oscar nominations for PULP FICTION and INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS and also cutting RESERVOIR DOGS, JACKIE BROWN, both volumes of KILL BILL and the DEATH PROOF half of GRINDHOUSE. One of her first jobs was as an assistant sound editor on Lewis Jacksonâ€™s cult fave CHRISTMAS EVIL; her other credits include 1997â€™s NIGHTWATCH and this yearâ€™s thriller PEACOCK."

I wasn't able to find out if the Don Christensen who did music for "Christmas Evil" was the same one who played in the Contortions and the Raybeats, but I have a hunch that it is.

"He has an uncredited appearance in the 1984 film Children of the Corn as "Israel". After working in Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2 he made appearances in various television shows, his last being in the 1992 television series Dangerous Curves as "Johnny Strong" in the episode titled "Muscle Boys". In 2004, the directors of Silent Night Deadly Night Part 2 tried to find him for the commentary track of the DVD release, but they claim he was untraceable."

Weirdly, "Silent Night, Deadly Night 3:Better Watch Out!" was directed by Monte Hellman, who directed "Two-Lane Blacktop." Now THAT could be a double-feature.

Video release info from Wikipedia:

"International Video Entertainment released the film on VHS, while Image Entertainment released it on laserdisc. Lions Gate Entertainment released Silent Night, Deadly Night 3 along with its sequels, Silent Night, Deadly Night 4: Initiation and Silent Night, Deadly Night 5: The Toy Maker as a three disc set on December 1, 2009. They are presented in full screen format with no special features included.
Lions Gate will release the film to DVD once again on January 4th, 2011 in a "4-Film Collection" set along with My Best Friend Is a Vampire, Repossessed and Slaughter High."

One last thing (I hope!)...James Brown's appearance on the "Christmas Evil" soundtrack in the office party scene reminded me of this, my favorite James Brown Christmas song (he has several Christmas albums):